Jul 17 2023
18 July On 18 July 1959, Tetsuji Murakami made his first-ever visit to England to teach for the British Karate Federation (BKF). He also conducted a number of gradings at 12 Maybush Road, Hornchurch, Essex. On 18 July 1963, Vernon Bell received a letter from his German counterpart, Jurgen Seydel, informing him that Tetsuji Murakami …
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Jul 03 2023
3 July On 3 July 1965, Hirokazu Kanazawa took his first teaching trip to the British Karate Federation’s (BKF) York dojo. He was there for a week. On 3 July 1971, the 5th KUGB Championships were held at Crystal Palace, London. Terry O’Neill won his first-ever KUGB kata title. G. Haslam became kumite champion. The …
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Jun 19 2023
22 June On 22 June 1931, Teruyuki Okazaki was born in Nogata, Fukuoka Prefecture, Japan. He was the second son of a family that came from a samurai lineage on his grandmother’s side. Okazaki has been described by some, as one of the most technically gifted karatekas to come from the Japanese Karate Association (JKA). …
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Jun 05 2023
5 June On 5 June 1965, Yutaka Yaguchi, arrived in Los Angeles, to assist Hidetaka Nishiyama at his Los Angeles dojo. James Field, who would go on to become one of the top Shotokan practitioners in the United States, remembered Yaguchi’s arrival. He had been close to quitting Karate at the time. However, when he …
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May 29 2023
29 May On 29 May 1947, Hamish Adam was born in Edinburgh, Scotland. He was a part of the British team that won the Team Kumite title at the 1975 World Championships, held in Long Beach, California. He was also part of a Scottish team that won the 1973 European Team Championships on their first …
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Mar 13 2023
13 March On 13 March 1957, Vernon Bell was awarded his black belt in Yoseikan Karate from the Fédération Française de Karaté, under Hiroo Mochizuki and Henri Plee. Bell had started training with Plee towards the end of 1955. He had made frequent visits to Plee’s Paris dojo. After around eighteen months he graded for his 1st Dan. Bell …
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Mar 06 2023
6 March On 6 March 1921, Gichin Funakoshi, the founder of Shotokan Karate, led a Karate demonstration in front of Crown Prince Hirohito. The demonstration was performed at the Great Hall of Shuri Castle, in Okinawa. Crown Prince Hirohito had visited Okinawa while en route to a visit to Europe. The ship’s captain, Captain Norikazu …
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Feb 27 2023
27 February On 27 February 1948, Terence (Terry) O’Neill, one of the best karateka ever produced in Britain, was born in Liverpool, England. O’Neill began his Karate training in 1963 when as a 16-year-old he lied about his age, on his application to join the British Karate Federation (BKF). Under Keinosuke Enoeda and the JKA, he …
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Feb 20 2023
20 February On 20 February 1964, José Manuel Egea Caceres, the oldest of three boys, was born in the Pan Bendito neighbourhood of Madrid, Spain. He is one of the greatest European competitors, being an 8-time World Champion (junior and senior), a 13-time European Champion, a 14-time Spanish Champion, and the winner of numerous open …
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Jan 30 2023
31 January On 31 January 1999 Keigo Abe resigned from the Matsuno faction of the JKA. Masatoshi Nakayama, the Chief Instructor of the JKA, died in 1987. Tokyo businessman, Nobuyuki Nakahara became the Chairman of the JKA. A number of instructors, led by Tetsuhiko Asai, disagreed with the decision. This led to a split in …
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